Working with children, from ages three through eighteen, can be a very rewarding experience. But if you suffer from depression, it can bring you from the highs to the lows of your life. How do you handle that? It depends on what you are doing with them and the age group.

Lets first look at the situations that can arise in Pre-K and Kindergarten/first/second grade children. These are children who require a lot of hand-holding and it is very easy to feel overwhelmed by them. They have a lot going on and can be very hard on your emotions, especially when six or seven of them call for your attention at once. Who do you help first? How do you prioritize? Which child needs you most, and who asked for help first? It is definitely a hard situation, but it is one that can be handled. Take a deep breath, relax and then just start going around in order, helping children that way. Or call in an aide to come help out, if you have too many students requiring things.

Students at this age can also be very frustrating when you are trying to explain something and they dont get it. It can be a math problem or an element of reading. The topics that they are studying will seem very basic to you, but they arent to them. It is important to remember the age of the students that you are dealing with. They might not be able to grasp the concept as you would hope. But when they do, this is the biggest high in teaching. When you see students grasp the concepts that you have been struggling to teach them, you will feel amazing. It will make everything worth it for you.